That vintage electronics smell

I don't know if anyone else notices this, but it seems like a lot of vintage gear has a similar smell to it once it warms up and has been used for a while. I don't know if I can describe the smell. It's not an ozone-like smell. But I would say it's a fairly unique smell. I don't find it unpleasant...probably because I associate it with good memories.

In particular, I collect old record players with built-in amplifiers. Some are tube amplifiers, some are sold state. Regardless, they all have a familiar smell to them when being played...especially once they've been used for a while. Perhaps the tube units smell more, maybe because more heat is being generated.

Is the smell from the circuitry, the motor, capacitors, or some other parts? Or is it the result of the dust inside getting heated up?

Or am I the only one who smells this?

 

Nope! I know exactly what you're talking about. I've used my Marantz 2270 as a pre-amp for many years, and sadly I'm selling it locally. So I opened her up and did a mild cleaning, hooked up the jumpers and warmed up the amp section to test it out, and there was that smell, just lovely

On a different note, when I bought my Yamaha MX-800U three years ago, it was advertised as barely used, and sure enough, it had that 'new amp' smell for a couple of weeks as it burned in. A different smell to be sure, but still nice!

 

It could well be the polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride.

Andrew

 

And no risk to your health until you see the law firm ad on TV with the 800 number.

 

They should bottle it up & make a perfume.

I remember the smell of my dad's old 70s Kenwood amp that I caught on fire after cranking the AR-90s for about 10 hours straight in the sun during a kickass party...music stopped and smoke poured out...horribly smelling smoke!!!

 

Old stuff smells of phenolic based circuit boards. No longer made, nasty ingredients. That 'sharp', hot smell.

 

It's gotta beat the vintage audiophile smell.

 

I've alway liked the smell of old tube equipment, don't know what causes it, but it is very nostalgic and only vintage gear can produce it.

 

Hahahahaha!!

 

You're not crazy. I know exactly what smell you're talking about. My grandparents had an old solid state Sears console that I used to play their records on as a kid....it had that smell, so I too associate it with childhood memories. Both my Fisher 500-B and Hammond M3 Organ make that exact smell when they're on, as does my friend's Hammond L-100 Organ. I can smell it as soon as I walk in the room.

 

Funny how smells are.

I can still recall the smell of every record playing device I ever used when it was new (or old)

The old Webster 78 RPM changer. My VM "Playtime" record player. Our "Sonic" portable stereo.

Even my sister's Sears record players.

We had a Sears console in the sixties and I remember the smell of that too.

The Heathkit amps and receivers too. Heavenly.

Doug

 

WOW That is a real word ! phenolics or bakelite
WIKI

 

I got my first stereo set, a small entry-level Sanyo AM/FM/single cassette all-in-one, for my ninth birthday in November 1980. A week later John Lennon was killed, and I put that little guy to the test taping all the Beatles songs they were playing off of the radio. I sat there for hours, being introduced to music that would change my life under the most unfortunate of circumstances, waiting intently for the commercials so I could pause the recording and keeping a watchful eye over how much tape was left so I wouldn't cut off any music.

I can still to this day recall how that stereo smelled, especially inside the cassette well when I opened the door. It was a very distinct "warm electronics" kind of smell, and it permeated the tapes too -- years late when I found them in a box they still smelled exactly the same.

 

Often also smell the burning dust as i turn vintage amps on that have not been played for a while

 

Just curious if there could be any type of health hazard that can result from this kind of smell. I bought a used Yamaha CR-220 receiver and it really has a electronics smell to it. It's not a burning or smoky smell, just to be clear. I've smelled this from other vintage electronics...Even an old electronic board game (Stop Thief...Remember that?) has the same smell. But this receiver smells my whole room up, unless it's unplugged. And no, it does not run hot. I might clean the inside of the cover and see if that helps a little.

Otherwise, the receiver works and sounds great!

 

Had my nose deep in my FISHER 800-C swapping out tubes a few days ago. I know that smell fairly intimately. Smells of negative ions to me. Like the Oregon Coast in Fall...but dry. Some Single Malt Scotch has that smell too. Ardbeg 10 sure does!

I that smell and all things VG+ or better vintage.

 

What a lovely way to put it, pass me some of that Single Malt buddy, that makes the equipment sound much better

 

This Ardbeg expression had it too. Oh, that was a lovely, lovely bottle of tipple!

 

Very good! It's also Polychlorinated biphenyl, and "dust" for the most part. All of these old components had capacitors and transformers containing PCBs. Many later products also had circuit boards made from a type of laminated paper and resin, not exactly bakelite as it was cheaper and less sturdy but similar in content. These boards also leach nasty chemicals onto their surfaces and vaporize. Just like PCB, these chemicals (if not just pure PCB) were used to increase the dielectric strength of the boards and to retard flame. It has a characteristic odor that could be called "eau de old electronics".

Also practically all old units will have some layers of dust and oils deposited on them and certain components get rather warm and so cause those deposits to emit an odor also. Output tubes obviously get very hot and cause the dust on them to practically smolder. If you've ever smelled the aftermath of a transformer or a capacitor that caught fire, it's a distinctly nasty smell that is hard to forget.
-Bill

 

That is one delicious Tipple. A Wee dram of that on a cold evening. .............ahh

 

i sure do!!






http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/Miscelleonous/STOPTHIEF3.jpg

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll310/shaorin-chan/Miscelleonous/STOPTHIEF4.jpg

my Uncle's family, on my father's side, had one of those, along with a couple dozen other older board games in their living room hutch.

i used to fool around with some of them, that "STOP THIEF!" predominantly,
out of sheer boredom during the many visits to their house throughout the 1990's.

they also had an OK late-80's all-SONY-ES component Hi-Fi,
stereo receiver, CDP, dual cassette and TT.

the receiver had what was the biggest, most impressive damned remote
that i had ever seen at the time, and i think that that might well have been
the impetuous that started me on my 1980's programmable remote
collecting fetish;

 

Aaaaaahh, that vintage stereo fragrance, Yankee Candle should market that, especially for their car air freshener line.

 

Cool, a Stop Thief fan! I own two. One Canadian and one US version.

 

Even 9volt batteries and cheap plastic had "that smell."